Quantum thermalisation

Project level: PhD, Honours, Summer

How do isolated quantum systems thermalise?  Isolated quantum systems undergo unitary evolution which preserves the entropy.  However, at the level of statistical mechanics, any disturbance will lead to an increase in entropy and hence temperature.  These ARC-funded projects looks at this paradox in the context of ultra-cold quantum gases.  They involve computer simulations for quantum dynamics, as well as using algebraic methods developed from exact solutions to well known models of mathematical physics that are beginning to be realised in the laboratory.